1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to structures and methods for providing thermal management of electronic devices while distributing computing tasks among semiconductor chips.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional schemes for thermally managing components of electronic devices normally entail placing some form of heat spreader in thermal contact with the component in question. A conventional heat spreader is typically constructed of some type of thermally conducting material and is often accompanied by some form of convective heat transfer. Some devices rely on natural convection. Others use forced convection through the usage of cooling fans. In some devices, liquid cooling schemes are used wherein a heat spreader is placed in contact with a component and a heat transfer fluid is mechanically pumped in a circuit that includes the heat spreader and some form of chiller. The chiller may simply involve a cooling fan and plurality of heat fins that are located remotely from the thermally managed component, but more complex systems may utilize refrigeration units.
Another conventional thermal management scheme involves the placement of a phase change material (PCM) in thermal contact with a heat producing semiconductor chip. The PCM absorbs heat while undergoing a phase change. During the phase change period, the PCM maintains a somewhat constant temperature. Conventional techniques have focused on a single semiconductor chip.
Typically, conventional semiconductor chips have a thermal design power or TDP. If a chip is operated by clocking or otherwise above its TDP for extended periods, eventual device failure is an expected outcome. However, it may be desirable to periodically operate a chip above its TDP for short bursts of activity. This technique is known as computational sprinting or sprint mode. Following a period of sprint mode, the chip must be allowed to cool below damaging temperature levels before another sprint is attempted. Conventional computational sprinting has focused on single chips.
The present invention is directed to overcoming or reducing the effects of one or more of the foregoing disadvantages.